Chapter 400

400 Lord of the Depths

A beech tree, filled with my bl**d and aura, began to grow vigorously.

The speed of its growth under the moonlight was so rapid it was hard to believe even when witnessed with one’s own eyes.

“Wh-what is this?! Hassan, the tree is growing enormous! A tree is sprouting from the ground! What in the world is going on?”

Luna was visibly startled, trembling with shock. It was only natural to be surprised. I had been as well.

But there had been plenty of hints up until now.

The necromancy I used wasn’t truly necromancy but rather about bestowing life energy to create something new. Additionally, I possessed the same lineage as Ceres, the goddess of harvest and seasons. Even during my meditation to hone my aura, I could feel the powerful life energy coursing through my bloodstream.

Based on that, all I did was bestow my life energy onto this tree. And it seems to have worked even better than I had anticipated.

Creak, creak-.

Finally, a tree that looked to be over a hundred years old sprouted where there was once a spring. Its beech leaves rustled gently with the breeze.

It was certainly an extraordinary feat, but my goal was not merely to grow a tree. This was merely a process.

I broke off a Y-shaped branch from the beech tree, holding its upper parts with both hands, aiming its tip like a g*n in various directions.

“Good. It’s perfectly crafted. Now, we don’t need the tree.”

At this, Luna asked,

“Hassan, what are you doing? After creating such a massive tree, you’re just breaking off its branches!”

It seemed she didn’t understand my intentions. But I had a purpose – to create a divining rod, also known as a water dowsing tool.

A divining rod is used to explore water veins beneath your feet. The Y-shaped beech branch makes for an excellent material to craft such a tool.

“With this, we can determine the flow of underground water. When the tip of this branch sinks downward, it means there’s water flowing beneath. Everyone grab one and give it a try.”

This was a method my father used to discover effective medicinal springs, and it really works.

However, Elfride, with a serious expression, chuckled as if she’d heard something absurd.

“What is this nonsense? You just performed the unbelievable feat of growing a tree in an instant, and all you plan to do is break branches to find water veins? Isn’t that just superstition?”

Elfride had a valid point, of course. But Luna, on the other hand, reacted with excitement, raising her hands high.

“Got it! This is the voodoo of water finding!”

I’ve realized before — Luna seems to enjoy tagging the term ‘voodoo’ onto impressive-sounding names.

Chunk.

Luna, too, broke off a Y-shaped branch and swung it around just like me. Suddenly, she stopped somewhere and called out.

“It’s here! Beneath this rock!”

She signaled beneath a rock much larger than her body.

“Hassan, something feels strange beneath this rock! It feels like a water vein is calling to me!”

A water vein calling to her. While I suggested looking for water, Luna’s intensity went beyond what I could handle.

“It’s… too heavy…!”

That said, Luna attempted to push the rock by herself. Moving a rock several times larger than her all alone was no easy feat.

“Hassan, help me!”

So, I decided to help her. If Luna was this excited, there must be something beneath that rock.

When I lifted the rock with both my hands and moved it aside—

Thud.

We discovered a few crayfish where the rock had been. But they weren’t ordinary crayfish; their colors shimmered vibrantly, like jewels.

“Spring crayfish! This means there must be moisture nearby! If we dig here, we’ll find water!”

Luna was practically ecstatic. Muttering something on her own, she began to dig with her hands like an animal’s paws into the damp earth.

Swoosh, swoosh—

Soon, something akin to wet mud started appearing, and before long, a gentle flow of water gushed forth.

“…”

“…”

Staring at the scene, both Elfride and I were speechless. The water springing from below the mud emitted a brilliant golden hue, which was unimaginable.

It looked almost like gleaming sesame oil. Luna, upon seeing this golden water, fidgeted with her hands excitedly.

“Hassan, look! There’s really water! How did I know this? It’s incredibly mysterious! I… I can’t even believe how I—.”

In the middle of Luna’s attempt to say something,

Zing, zzz-.

My neck tingled as if struck by lightning. In that moment, I realized I shouldn’t stay put and grabbed both Elfride and Luna, making them crouch.

“Get down—!”

Swoosh, swoosh.

Something whirled over our heads. Looking up, I noticed something like a dart with feathers embedded in the grown beech tree.

Clic, clic, clic-.

Soon, dry earth crunching sounds approached, encircling us with many footsteps.

They were girls with pink hair and skull masks, each wielding ominous weapons like sickles or chains.

One of them spoke up.

“You’ve not only entered our sanctuary without permission but also caused a commotion. You’d better explain what’s going on!”

*

Lord Hassan, we’re in deep trouble…! You should return to our shrine as soon as possible…!

What the…?

When I regained my senses, I found myself standing in a dark sea.

It seemed as if someone had scattered fog machines, enveloping the area in a mist.

The odd part was hearing Para’s voice echoing through the haze.

Lord Hassan, that guy is causing chaos…! No one, absolutely no one can stop him…! It’s a calamity!

What the…? Para, are you inside my mind? Is this a dream? d*mn it, get out of my head, Para!

Due to Para’s constant yelling, I would sometimes hear things that weren’t there, but this delusion—whether a dream or a hallucination—crossed the line.

Everyone has their personal privacy, and hearing Para’s voice even in my dreams might soon lead to some kind of neurosis.

Somewhere, Para’s voice spoke up again.

He’s a very bad guy…! He’s screaming for Lord Hassan, and no matter how we tell him you’re not here, he won’t believe us…

Para was interrupted by a roaring sound.

Whoosh.

A colossal wave engulfed me, pulling me underwater. Struggling around, someone soon spoke to me.

“Who said you could sleep? Wake up quickly!”

Whoosh.

Water was splashed on my face again.

Opening my eyes, I realized I was in a dark place brightly illuminated by torches.

I was in a wooden cage, confined in a cramped corner, with my hands bound behind me and legs crossed.

Facing me, were pink-haired girls with fierce faces, some holding spears and others with torches glaring at me.

Only then did I realize where I was, the village of the Ta’ar tribe dominating Hill Island.

The commotion we caused atop Moonrise Mountain had prompted the Ta’ari girls on night watch to capture us.

Initially, I considered escaping, but the pitch-black night combined with their overwhelming numbers left us no choice but to comply quietly.

I must have dozed off due to exhaustion but was awakened abruptly by the dream and water splashed on my face.

Wasn’t Para rambling about something?

What was that dream about?

Thinking back, I noticed Luna or Elpride weren’t beside me.

I looked around and spotted them sitting by the fire roasting meat.

“What the hell, why am I the only one tied up?”

It was a relief to see that neither Elpride nor Luna had been attacked or mistreated by the aggressive girls, but why was only I tied up in this cage like a criminal? It felt unfair.

“Untie me too.”

Someone answered me.

“You’re a man from the outside, right? The rule is to detain men from the outside in a cage for about a day. We appreciate your compliance.”

Ah, I’m locked up because I’m a man.

The old vines that bound my hands and the wooden cage were so brittle that a burst of force would easily shatter them. It seemed that confining me was merely a formality of sorts.

One of the skull mask-wearing girls asked:

“Chrome on Moonrise Mountain. Is it true that your group killed him?”

Shhhh.

All eyes turned to me. Before I could even respond, the girl continued:

“That guy was powerful. Using our Ta’tari tribe’s Enjambi sorcery, we transformed him into an even more ferocious and terrifying monster in life. Our tribe suffered greatly because of him.”

Upon hearing Chrome’s name, some of the pink-haired girls shuddered.

If these mere mentions of the name could incite such fear, the monster must have been a reigning symbol of terror across this island.

I said,

“That guy is dead. There’s no way he can resurrect. He was fully burnt to ashes, utterly erased. He must be deep in the trenches of hell by now. I saw it clearly.”

You hear that? The guy is dead!

That d*mn, evil guy-.

Relief spread among various listeners.

I feared they might attempt to k*ll me for killing their monster without permission. However, seeing the girls relieved made me somewhat glad.

“If killing Chrome is true, you could be considered great guests here on this island. Nevertheless, this is unprecedented in our history, and nobody knows how to handle this.”

The girls appeared both ecstatic and overwhelmed.

They probably haven’t fully processed all that happened overnight.

The skull-masked girl added,

“Although Chrome had turned into a nightmare, he was an idol we had crafted, a god. Even if he was a fearsome object, he was the protector of our island. Without a god, we are nothing but fragile sheep.”

“Without a god, fragile sheep? What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. This island is cursed. It’s land abandoned by the gods. Now, there’s no way but for it to decline. This island no longer has a god… It’s abandoned completely. We are all orphans now.”

The girls looked deeply saddened by the thought of losing their object of worship.

An entirely abandoned land; orphans.

Suddenly, my mind flashed back to the slaves during the end of the Joseon Dynasty.

As egalitarian ideas began to take root, slaves were often freed from their noble households. While some celebrated their newfound freedom, others, who had spent their entire lives living in a specific way, were paralyzed by the vastness of their newfound freedom. In fear, they offered to remain slaves.

Isn’t that somewhat similar to their situation?

These girls require something to worship, needing a prop to survive in such a harsh environment. With that in mind, I began to understand.

I momentarily reflected on what I could do here. I suddenly had an idea.

“I suggest then, that you, the Hill Island and the Ta’tari tribe, fall under my command. Ta’tari, isn’t that a shortened form of ‘Tartarus’? Among those who worship monsters, it’d be hard to find a better match than you.”

My words caused several girls to frown angrily.

“What nonsense is this? Who even are you to command us? Even if we are declining, we wouldn’t deign to worship someone so suspicious.”

“Suspicious? Now that’s rude. There’s no one more fitting to reign over the dark abyss than me.”

“Can you really control the deep abyss tribe while locked in this cramped cage?”

The girl wearing the bone helmet laughed behind her mask. Others joined her, snickering at my statement, treating it as a joke.

I responded,

“My abyss isn’t about your tribe name—it refers to the true dark and deep pit. Besides, I’m not being detained, I’m here willingly.”

“What?”

“To prove it, let me show you. You can’t protect yourselves with such flimsy wood.”

Crack!

I tore the vine binding my hands, stood up, and grabbed the wooden bars. Pushing them apart with ease, I shattered the iron-reinforced wooden cage with a creaking sound.

Shocked cries erupted from the pink-haired girls, staring at me in horror as if I were a monster.

“That’s… that’s ironwood! How could you break an ironwood cage reinforced with sea-soaked iron like that!”

“Monster, that guy’s also a monster! Everyone, be careful! The monster’s going berserk!”

The girls raised their weapons at me with heightened alertness, though their fear lurked in their eyes.

I stepped out of the cage and stood before them all.

“Well, who’s the fool confined in a dumb cage now?”

Intimidated by my towering presence, several girls fell to their knees.

“Monster—!”

Looking down at me with fear in their eyes oddly felt good. It’s said gods gain great power from fear and reverence; now I begin to understand.

I declared to the girls losing their resolve and dropping their weapons,

“My name is Hassan. The sole son of Pluto. The rightful heir of the deep Tartarus—and from today onward, I am your god.”

I boldly proclaimed this before the trembling girls.

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